Tag: prayer

The second day of North American Youth congress kicked off with a jump start session led by Lj Harry followed by split sessions with Chantry Dean(Teen), Matthew Johnson(Hyphen), Chadwick Craft (Youth Workers), and Aaron Soto (Young Ministers).

Following the split sessions, Bro. Tom Ellis preached from the well-known passage in Mark 11:15-17, where scripture records Jesus’ frustration with those treating the temple as a marketplace. The attendants of NAYC were reminded of the timeless importance of the reason for the temple and one of the most important callings the church will ever have—prayer. The temple is to be called a house of prayer and in Mark 11, the people had made it a den of thieves.

The audience Jesus was speaking to was guilty of casually walking into the temple, buying their sacrifice there … Read More »

If seeking after God becomes optional, then living for God will also become optional. We must choose to be a generation that is committed to seeking after God. We are thankful for the following recent report sent in from Iowa youth president, Nate Kennedy.

Every year as Iowa winter ends in May, the Apostolic youth from across our state come together to have their first district event. It began as “UPLINK,” a part of the National Day of Prayer, and has transitioned into becoming the annual Sheaves for Christ district kick-off event. This two day gathering was not only full with services, but we also rented out a bowling center and provided meals for students. This year, General Youth President Michael Ensey preached at the event which brought record numbers. Lives were changed, new commitments were made, and several backsliders were … Read More »

We have much to learn from icebergs and trees. Yes, you read that correctly—icebergs and trees. Researchers have concluded that only ten percent of the volume of an iceberg is seen at the surface of the water due to the density of pure ice and the density of seawater. It can be difficult to tell the shape of the underwater portion by only looking at the area above the surface. While icebergs can be immense, their greatness lies underneath, often unknown and unrecognized from the surface. The same is true with trees. These leafy giants stretch toward the clouds, finding themselves at the center of much attention, but the strength of the tree is not in its height, the length of its branches, or the color of its leaves; the beauty of the tree is completely dependent on the strength … Read More »

Since the mid-1970s, there has been an increasingly present phenomenon in the world’s skyscrapers called “vanity height.” Basically, vanity height is the part of the building that exists only for looks. Whether it is for artistic display or breaking a height barrier, its sole purpose is appearance rather than function. Among those buildings in the world which have been able to gain the “super tall status” by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, 61% of them would not qualify if not for the vanity height they have.

In his final letter, Paul addresses his young protégé and tells him about a generation to come in perilous times. In addressing that generation’s attitude and spiritual condition, he wrote these words: “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away” (II Timothy 3:5). According to … Read More »

No matter what level of education you have, it’s easy to recognize the importance of punctuation. We recognize the weight of commas in sentences like “let’s eat, Grandma” versus this version with the omitted comma: “let’s eat Grandma.” One other punctuation mark I used quite frequently in my sentence structures as a child was that good old exclamation point. Let me refresh your memory. An exclamation mark indicates strong feelings, excitement, or high volume. That tiny point means some serious business.

Things really start getting crazy when the exclamation mark separates from the paper and inserts itself in physical circumstances. Perhaps you can remember your parents shouting “Go to your room!” or your coach bellowing at you to “run harder!” Maybe this even occurred when your best friend recently jumped high off the ground, excitedly screaming the news of her … Read More »